Sweet Afton, the new pub from the team behind Bua and Wilfie & Nell held a tasting for friends and family last night and is due to soft-open sometime between now and its grand opening, on August 30. There will be draft beers, what the owners believe to be Astoria’s first cask-ale option (one of the owners, Ruairi Curtin, is a longtime Astoria resident, so he should know), fresh-fruit cocktails such as a spicy cherry margarita, and pub grub from chef P.J. Calapa, who happens to be a regular at Bua. As with Wilfie & Nell, the purveyors are highlighted on the menu: The meat is from Pat La Frieda or Butchers Block of Sunnyside, the cheese is from Murray’s, the breads are from Rollo Mio of Maspeth, and the beer-battered fried pickles are from none other than Bob McClure. The bar’s designer is also a Bua habitué — truly a family affair! And again as with Wilfie & Nell, there are no reservations and the seating is communal — but this time, there’s a back garden. Check out the menu, below.
Food
Sweet Afton Burger * 8
Served on country white bun w/ lettuce, tomato, onions, and Brooklyn pickles
Add cheese (Irish Cheddar, Gruyère, Muenster, American) +1
Add double-smoked Brooklyn bacon +1
Add caramelized onions +1
Beer-Battered Fried McClure’s Brooklyn Pickles w/ smoky sauce * 4
Mac & Cheese 8
Irish Cheddar, Muenster, and Gruyère
Add double-smoked Brooklyn bacon +1
Irish Sausage Rolls 7
Irish sausage wrapped and baked in puff pastry, w/ HP sauce
Grilled Cheese on Pullman loaf w/ pickles & whole-grain mustard 7
Choice of Cheddar (Dublin, Ireland), Gruyère (Fribourg, Switzerland), or Muenster (USA)
Add caramelized onions +1 Add double-smoked bacon +1
Cheese Plate 12
Selection of cheeses w/ seasonal fruit, toast, and housemade chutneySides
Hand-Cut Fries w/ malt vinegar 4
Sliced McClure’s Pickles (side) 3
Seasonal Side Salad 5
Drinks
Classics
Fresh Lime Margarita 8
Rye Old-fashioned 8
Calvados Sidecar 8
French 75 9
House Variations
Sweet Tea - Tea-infused vodka, Honey-Ginger Syrup, Lemon 8
Red Lemonade - Citrus Vodka, Simple Syrup, Lemon, Cranberry 8
Applejack Collins - Laird’s Applejack, Simple Syrup, Lemon, Orange Bitters, Club Soda 8
Spicy Cherry Margarita - Habanero-Infused Tequila, Cherry Preserve, Simple Syrup, Lime 9
Miller’s Martini - Miller’s Gin, Elderflower Liqueur, Lemon, Strawberry, Cucumber 9
Dirty Pickle Martini - Vodka, McClure’s Pickle Juice 9
Red Wine White Wine
Côtes du Rhône, France 7 / 28 Badia Alle Corti, Pinot Grigio, Italy 7 / 28
Vina Rufina, Tempranillo, Spain 8 / 32 Alamos, Chardonnay, Argentina 8 / 32
Amancay, Malbec, Argentina 9 / 36 Châteaux Maginet, Bordeaux Blanc 9 / 36
Frederic Lornet, Pinot Noir, France 9 / 36 Dreissigacker, Riesling, Germany 9 / 36
Draft Beers: Guinness 6 / Amstel Light 5 / Captain Lawrence Pale Ale 6 / Lighthouse Ale 6 / Yuengling Lager 5 / Arcadia I.P.A. 6 / Chimay 9 / Stella Artois 6 / Kelso Nut Brown Lager 6 / Ommegang Witte 6.
Bottled Beers: Magners 6 / Pacifico 6 / Miller Lite 5 / Miller High Life 5 / Saison du Pont 8 / Red Stripe 6 / Peroni 6 / Modelo Especiale (can w/ salt, lime, Tabasco) 5.
Sweet Afton 30-09 34th St., nr. 30th Ave., Astoria; 718-777-2570.
